For Sale on NK

[De Bruin]

All this nonsense aside- back to the subject;
the T&P 2-10-4 with the colored boiler jacket-
I understand T&P used this "scheme" which I think is referred to by some as "Russian Iron"(?) was also sported on some of those brutal looking P-1 Pacifics with the Elesco feedwater heaters as well. I’m interested in the novelty of this as unlike Europe and Canada,
colored boiler jackets (shrouded “streamline” and passenger train specific locomotives(think C&A’s heavy USRA red 4-6-2) notwithstanding) were a fairly rare “look.” I applaud Sunset for including this obscure scheme in their offering. Aside from Great Northern, Southern, and various outliers like P&LE A-2’s, UP's Overland FEF's and various roads shop switchers, they do “stick out” especially when you can find a color photo of the same. (Bob T will set me straight on this -watch)
Neat stuff. I am curious why T&P applied this scheme though as I understand these rarely saw passenger service except on extra sections and troop trains.

[bob turner]

Guaranteed. At least it is model train related.

Russia iron was a heat treated and planished iron that resisted corrosion. It was variously brown, green, blue, or maybe grey. Color photography post-dated the heyday of this stuff. Dunscomb did a really nice writeup in one of his giant coffee table SP Steam books.

I can only vouch for one lonely SP "Deck" which was in my back yard when I, an 8 year old kid, was helping a railroader put out a brush fire in Fairbank, Arizona. It definitely had a grey boiler, which I found unusual. I think the only other SP green or grey boilers known are on switchers, kept dressed up in the early 1950s - but most are sure that the paint shops did green boilers, cylinder jackets, etc., and mineral red cab roofs on at least Pacifics and Mountains. Some also had raised nickel silver road name and cab numbers. I have no idea about the cab forwards - maybe Scott Mann has info, since he imported green and grey on the AC-4/5/6 models.

[Jay Criswell]

None of the engines being mentioned here had Russian Iron or even planished iron jackets. All were painted steel.

If you want to learn about Russian Iron go to the Pacific Narrow Gauge site and read the documentation. Russian Iron was more neutral than anything else and took on the surrounding colors, mostly through reflection.

http://www.pacificng.com/template.php?p ... /index.htm

Jay

[Rufus T. Firefly]

http://www.pacificng.com/template.php?page=/ref/russiairon/index.htm

Thank you.

[bob turner]

And note that I mentioned "paint shops". Jay is correct - actually Russia iron was not used much beyond the turn of the century. The Narrow Gauge article is good, but Dunscomb's is equally complete and probably authoritative. There is no better student of SP steam than Dunscomb. Maybe Bob Church ranks up there, and he gives a formula for green boiler paint in his Mountain book.